Business View Magazine - August 2023

115 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 8 VI RGINIA HEALTH CARE ASSOCIAT ION-VI RGINIA CENTER FOR ASSISTED L IVING With over 360 members, the Virginia Health Care Association – Virginia Center for Assisted Living (VHCA-VCAL) is Virginia’s largest trade association representing nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. VHCA-VCAL members operate 97 percent of the Medicaid-certified nursing facility beds in Virginia. The association works with policymakers and state government as a strategic partner to facilitate an environment where quality nursing centers and assisted living communities can thrive. VHCA-VCAL also advocates for appropriate funding so providers can meet the needs of their residents. In the early days of the pandemic when much focus was on hospitals, VHCA-VCAL was vocal in its messaging and outreach to policymakers explaining that LTC facilities were ground zero for the pandemic and could not be overlooked in efforts to combat the virus. As facilities struggled with increased costs to pay for supplies and staffing, VHCA-VCAL worked to obtain additional Medicaid funding. Fortunately, Virginia’s lawmakers understood the gravity of the situation and authorized significant funding by providing a $20 per resident per day Medicaid add-on. This funding was the lifeline that allowed nursing facilities to stabilize their operations during the height of the pandemic. Other states that did not support their LTC facilities in the same way have seen numbers, threatening access to care for seniors. Rethinking How Medicaid Pays for LTC VHCA-VCAL called for incorporating this add- on into Medicaid base rates to permanently improve the payment methodology and address historic underfunding. This took root when the General Assembly directed VHCA-VCAL, the state Medicaid agency, and other stakeholders to develop an incentive- based program that encourages facilities to meet goals for enhanced quality of care. What resulted was the Medicaid Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program, launched on July 1, 2022. It substituted the Medicaid add-on amount with incentive